Shloka 48
कपिलगोसंवादे गृहस्थ-त्यागधर्मयोः प्रमाण्यविचारः
Kapila–Cow Dialogue: Authority of Householder and Renunciant Dharmas
सागरानूपमाश्रित्य तपस्तप्तं त्वया महत् । न च धर्मस्य संज्ञां त्वं पुरा वेत्थ कथंचन
sāgarānūpamāśritya tapastaptaṃ tvayā mahat | na ca dharmasya saṃjñāṃ tvaṃ purā vettha kathaṃcana ||
Tūladhāra dit : «T’appuyant sur une solitude semblable au rivage de la mer, tu as certes accompli de grandes austérités ; pourtant, jadis, tu ne connaissais nullement le sens même et la définition du dharma.»
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity (tapas) by itself does not guarantee moral clarity. True dharma requires correct understanding and discernment, not merely severe practices or withdrawal.
Tūladhāra addresses his interlocutor, acknowledging the latter’s great ascetic effort in a secluded waterside setting, but rebuking him for previously lacking a genuine grasp of what dharma actually is.